South Korean cafes are wrestling with students who do not leave

In the archaeological neighborhood of Seoul in Dychi, Hyun Song Joe has a dilemma.

Cagongjok sometimes visits a café, a term for young Koreans who love to study or work in cafes, but there is an end.

One of the clients recently prepared a work space in a café that included laptops and a six -pillar to charge all their devices – for a full day.

“I ended up preventing power outlets,” he says to BBC.

“With high Dychi rents, it is difficult to run a café if someone occupies a seat throughout the day.”

The cultural phenomenon in Cagongjok is rampant in South Korea, especially in areas that have large numbers of students and office workers. They often dominate cafes on a much larger scale than other Western countries such as the United Kingdom, as those who study with others often surround social media.

Starbucks Correa warned this month that a A minority of people go further than just laptopsLike bringing desktop screens, printers, dividing offices or leaving tables without long -term monitoring.

The series has now launched instructions at the country level aimed at reducing “small number of maximum cases” where elaborate settings or empty seats are disrupted by other customers.

Starbucks said that employees will not ask customers to leave, but rather “instructions” when needed. He also cited the cases of the theft when customers left property without observation, describing the new guidelines “a step towards a more comfortable store environment.”

Cagongjok deterrent does not seem to be the most moderate, which Starbucks has been somewhat resort in recent years and still.

On Thursday evening in the Gang Nams area of ​​Seoul, the Starbucks branch quietly swings with the customers who are studying, and they head to laptops and books.

Among them is a 18 -year -old student, who went out of school and is preparing for the “Sunung” university admission exam.

“I got here around 11 am and stayed until 10 pm,” I told the BBC. “Sometimes I leave my things and go to eat nearby.”

We have not seen any huge equipment during our visits to Starbucks since the release of the new guidelines on August 7, although we saw one man with a laptop holder, a keyboard and a mouse. Some customers still seem to leave their seats without long -term surveillance, with laptops and books spread over the tables.

When asked if its new restrictions had led to clear changes, Starbucks Korea BBC told “it is difficult to confirm.”

Reactions are mixed with Starbucks. We welcome politics greatly as a long -performance step towards restoring normal life in how to use cafes.

This is in particular among those who visit Starbucks to relax or conversation, who say it is difficult to find seats due to Cagongjok, and that the loud atmosphere often makes them feel self -consciously speaking freely.

A few criticized her as a transgression, saying that the chain had abandoned her eliminating approach.

It reflects a broader general discussion in South Korea on Cagongjok, which has been brewing since it started taking off in 2010, and in line with the growth of the coffee chains that were privileged in the country. This continued to grow, as the country has witnessed a 48 % increase in cafes over the past five years, according to national tax service, which is approaching 100,000.

About 70 % of people said in a recent survey of more than 2000 job seekers in South Korea by the Jinhaksa Catch employment that they studied in cafes at least once a week.

Dealing with “Hoging” and relevant issues are a difficult balance, and independent cafes that are struggling with something similar have published a set of methods.

While Hyun has seen customers who bring multiple electronic devices and prepare work stations, he says that the maximum cases are such rare.

“It may be two or three people out of a hundred,” says 15 -year -old. “Most people are taking into account. Some people even ask another drink if they remain long, and I am completely fine with that.”

Hyun’s Cafe, which is also used by local population space for conversation or special teaching, is still welcomed by Cagongjok as long as they respect the common space.

Some other cafe privileges meet with power outlets, individual offices and longer allowances.

But others have taken strict steps. Kim, the owner of the cafe in Jeongjo who asked the BBC to remain anonymous, presented a “no study” policy after its frequent monopoly on the area.

“Two people will come and take over for 10. Sometimes they leave for meals and return to study for seven or eight hours,” he says. “We finally put a sign that this is a space for conversation, not to study.”

Now a maximum cafe is allowed for it for those who use it to study or work. The base does not apply to ordinary customers who suffer from coffee simply.

“I have put politics to prevent potential conflicts between customers,” says Kim.

So what is behind this trend and why many people in South Korea feel the need to work or study in cafes instead of libraries, joint work spaces or at home?

For some, the cafe is more than just surrounding space; It is a place to feel the main.

Yu-Jin Mou, 29, tells the BBC about her experience in the nursery. “The house was not a safe place. I lived with my father in a small container, and sometimes he closed the door from the outside and left me alone inside.”

To date, as an adult, you find it difficult to be alone. “Once I wake up, I go to a cafe. I tried libraries and studied cafes, but they felt suffocated,” she says.

Later, Ms. Mo has even operated her own cafe for a year, hoping that it would provide an area where people like her can feel comfortable staying and studying.

Professor Choi Raong of Ansan University, who has studied life education for more than two decades, believes that Kagong Gok is a cultural phenomenon formed by the competing South Korea community.

“This is a youth culture that the society we have built,” as I told BBC. “Most Cagongjok are likely to be job seekers or students. They are under pressure – whether it is academics, job insecurity, or residential conditions without windows and no space for study.

“Somehow, these young people are victims of a system that does not provide sufficient public space for them to work or learn.” “They may be seen as a nuisance, but they are also a producer of the social structure.”

Professor Choi said it was time to create more comprehensive spaces. “We need guidelines and environments that allow the coffee shop to study – without disturbing others – if we want to absorb this culture realistically.”